The following details should always be followed when writing technical reports:
• Introduce figures and tables in the text before you present
them.
• Label your figures and tables so that figure titles follow the
figure and table titles are at the top of the table. Remember
(figures = follow, tables = top).
• Format your text so it is justified.
• Be consistent with formatting, make sure terminology and
symbols are consistent throughout the whole report.
EXPECTED REPORT FORMAT
Chapter 1 – Introduction
In this chapter you will provide a fairly straightforward explanation of your research topic as
well as an explanation of what your research report includes.
For example you can explain that your research topic is on a particular style of construction
and your report explains the benefits of this style of construction in regards to speed of
construction and cost of construction. There is no need to go into specific detail in this
chapter, the following sections is where you provide specific detail.
Chapter 2 – Literature Review
In this chapter you will provide an overview of the research that has already occurred in your
report topic and discuss the conclusions each researcher found.
For example you might state that a certain publication examined a particular parameter by
testing 8 specimens that were a certain size and configuration. From this study they
concluded that specimen height was a critical parameter that influences the load capacity.
Each report will have a different topic so you’ll need to adjust the style of writing
accordingly.
In this chapter I expect to see at least 10 decent quality research journals discussed here. Do
not include low quality sources such as Wikipedia or Youtube.
Chapter 3 – (Main content of the report)
The content you include in this section, plus the title, will depend on the topic you select to
research. Here you can include a few different sections that will be specific to your topic
content.
For example you may want to provide an overview of certain buildings that have been
constructed using a particular construction method or you may want to discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of a certain building material.
Whatever your research topic is, you’ll need to provide as much technical details as you can
in this section. Structure this section logically with a few sections and possibly sub-sections.
This chapter is where you provide as much detailed depth as you can. You will need to plan
this chapter well and make sure you have a systematic approach to discussing your relevant
points.
Chapter 4 – Recommended Future Research
This chapter will be quite short, possibly even only 1 page. Provide your recommendations
on what topics/concepts/structures should be examined in future research.
Chapter 5 – Conclusion
This chapter will also be quite short and can mainly consist of dot points. Provide a list of
conclusions from your research report.
References
Minimum references 25 journals. This section can be performed automatically if you use
EndNote correctly. You can select any suitable referencing style such as Author-Date, Harvard
or Numbered.